multiple murals and many lines

My 5ths have started the year experimenting with line to create a wide array of active abstractions. To get them inspired, I shared the work of 4 painters. We looked at the vibrant, large scale work of Jason Woodside, Monty Montgomery, and the collaborative team of Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn.

 Jason Woodside at work.

A recent mural Jason did in North County, San Diego.

 Monty Montgomery with a mural series he completed last year.

One of Monty's murals right here in San Diego.

 Jessie & Katey's mural at the Oval in Philly. I got to see 

this in person (and play ping pong on it:) when I visited family in the area!

Jessie & Katey at work on a mural in Atlanta.

After a brief intro to each artist, I gave my students an opportunity to talk:) I asked them to work in table groups to discuss the ways that the murals of the artists were similar. Table groups then volunteered to share their findings and then they moved on to discussing differences that they saw and they shared those, too.

Before getting started with the visual design problem, I asked my student artists to think about which of the artists' work they were most engaged with and to reflect on why they felt that way. This would be a question on their project exit slips and I wanted them to be aware of it before they got rolling.

There were 2 main constraints for this design problem- they needed to create an abstract composition and they needed to use line to create shapes and patterns.

Students were also required to do at least 2 preliminary sketches before starting on their final and they needed to explain their choice of sketch in writing. I emphasized the need to supply evidence for that choice in their explanation.

When their preliminary work was done, students moved on to the final 9x10" design. Planning in pencil and then moving onto color. They could use color sticks and colored sharpie markers. I reminded them that the color sticks were good for large areas and the sharpies worked well for detailed areas and emphasizing contour lines.

As you can see below there was a wide range of approaches to the design challenge. When students had completed their designs, they filled out an exit slip that got them to reflect on the project.

success with Santos.

This week some of my 3rd grade classes have been checking out the work of  Santos Leonel Orellana Paz. He goes by Santos. I share that he is originally from Honduras, he found his way out to San Diego County via the bio-tech industry after earning a degree in chemistry.

He believes that the most important thing for the success of children is education. This belief led to his creating the Alfabetismo collection of paintings. A series of 26 paintings that focused on one letter of the alphabet at a time. The students and I went through a number of these, looking to find the letter that was camouflaged in an abstract network of lines and color fields in the background.

This lesson was their introduction to watercolor painting technique this year. Their painting would serve as the background to a line drawing of a word that they felt was important to the success of a child in life. We talked about how this was different to Santos' series because they would be using a whole word instead of a single letter in their image. 

When we started painting, I modeled using more or less water to create different color values and then they created their color fields.

The next part of the process was to brainstorm a short list of things they felt were important to their success. They then sketched out a couple concepts- just the word first and then they added other lines and details to hide the word a bit more and to flesh out their compositions. 

When they had a sketch they were satisfied with, they drew it out lightly with black crayon over top of their painting, added supporting lines, and made those lines bold and strong to emphasize them from the background. (With this step, you want to make sure there is enough time between finishing the painted background. If the paper is too wet, it can tear or the crayon won't apply as cleanly. A hair dryer could be used for those pieces.)

The final part of the project was to explain WHY they chose that particular word. Why did they think that particular things was important. 

"Sleep" is important because it is needed for your health.

"Confidence" is important because you need to have good thoughts
about yourself to do good things.

Santos is actually opening a new gallery of his artwork in La Jolla this weekend. If any readers are local, you should swing by to check out his work!

printing pixels

The 4th graders are working with texture this week. I recently discovered the work of Los Angeles based artist Jason Williams (REVOK) and I know his work would hook the kids in... big time!

After a quick review of our Kadir Nelson inspired action scenes, I introduced the day's lesson by saying that even though the 2 projects would look a lot different, both would be very colorful.

I share an online article about REVOK's work and journey from well known and respected graffiti artist to well known and respected abstract painter. In an any school his work and story are engaging, but in an urban school the "draw" is even stronger. The kids are familiar with neighborhood tagging and wall works, so there has been some interesting dialogue about wall works on public and private property.

We look at several of his pieces from the recent past and discuss his use of geometric forms that give some of his work a pixelated look.... another HUGE draw for many of the kids. We see how symmetry is present in many of his works as well. There is also a strong textural component to his work, wither by reusing found items or by altering the surfaces of new materials.

Metadata-2015

Our goal, after talking about the elements present in REVOK's work, is to create a small abstract piece that shows an understanding of symmetry and that is made by altering the texture of a styrofoam plate.

In order to assist students with the pixelation of their image, they each have a 6x6 sheet of graph paper to work out their shapes and compositions. Editing and revisions happen here too. We use a piece of scotch tape to fasten the paper to a piece of styro. We trace the image completely on to the plate. The tape allows us to check our hand pressure and to make sure we have everything traced. No tape equals a pain to realign the two.

We are using both wide and thin water soluble markers to add color to the plates. Color choices are wide open. We review how to hold the markers and plate to keep the color on the plate and not our hands and fingers.

The image transfer, the printing, is done by spraying a piece of watercolor paper with water and sponging it even. Paper is placed on top, rubbed firmly, and boom- the magic of the print has occurred!

The kids have been very enthusiastic about this process and project. WE are wrapping up the activity by reflecting on how our work compares and contrasts with REVOK's.